Kurt Vonnegut may have passed on, but if the community Board 6 members have their way, his name will be immortalized on the street where he lived. The New York Sun reported yesterday that board members voted to rename the corner of East 48th Street and Second Avenue, where Vonnegut lived for nearly 40 years, after the famed author. Vonnegut was often seen walking his dog in Dag Hammarskjold Park near the United Nations and sitting on the stoop of his townhouse, thinking, smoking, and nodding to passersby. He and his wife, photographer Jill Krementz, had a second home in Sagaponack, Long Island, but spent most of their days in Manhattan.
Kurt Vonnegut Way was a “no-brainer,” board members said, and was almost unanimously approved. (The two board members who voted in opposition, according to the committee chairman, voted to express concern over the possibility of an “inappropriate” candidate coming before the board in the future, which we find to be somewhat disingenuous, but nothing can be unanimous, right?) The council would consider approving Kurt Vonnegut Way in October if council Member Daniel Garodnick, who represents the neighborhood, brings the street renaming request before the council’s Parks Committee.